The Coventry Courier

March 24, 2014

COVENTRY â Although local officials have reached out to federal officials to discuss what actions can be taken to save the AFJROTC program at Coventry High School, everyoneâs waiting to see what the outcome will be from the site visit scheduled for the week of May 12 by the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE).

Joseph Stalaboin, a concerned parent who has been involved with getting the program back on its feet, has attended each meeting and had a conversation with federal delegation on March 13, said the conference call was a success.

March 14, 2014

COVENTRYâ The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM) is accepting applications from cities, towns and non-profit land organizations for open space grants and with past success of acquiring money, Coventryâs Planning and Zoning department plans to submit an application in the upcoming months.

According to RIDEMâs press release, $5 million is available for Rhode Island Local Open Space Matching Grants, which was approved by the voters during the 2008 and 2012 Open Space Bond Authorizations.

Some residents were calling for his resignation during last weekâs council meeting because he hadnât actually made the move yet and some were under the impression he was going to have two residences.

March 5, 2014

COVENTRY â In a roundtable discussion, a handful of local legislators, school officials, parents and ROTC instructor Colonel Steven Buteau spend a good part of Friday afternoon working out a possible solution to keep the JROTC program at Coventry High School operating.

The issue; getting the necessary number of students (100) to enroll in the ROTC program and funding it before it is disbanded by the Air Force.

February 21, 2014

COVENTRYâ The Historic District Commission in Coventry has been working diligently to collect information on numerous historic buildings in town that need repairs, and their biggest focus during the next couple months will be the Mapledale School House.

Chairman of the commission Mark Gardner explained that in December members of the commission toured different buildings to get a handle on the conditions of such structures.

February 14, 2014

COVENTRYâ A local man who was arrested in 2012 for child pornography was convicted and found guilty by a federal court jury in Providence on Monday.

Gerald Silva, 59, of Coventry was convicted on six counts of receiving child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.

Silva, a former state probation officer assigned to the sex offender unit, was originally arrested in September 2012 following a joint investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Toronto Police Service.

February 12, 2014

COVENTRYâ Two local women who immigrated from different countries have received an award from the Literacy Volunteers of Kent County (LVKC) Board of Directors for their willingness to learn and grow during their time in America.

Gayatri Aggarwal and Denise Bueno, both of Coventry, were given the Barbara Shafer Award for Student Excellence to recognize their âoutstanding progress in achieving an individual goal.â

February 3, 2014

WARWICK â As David DâAgostino, attorney for the Central Coventry Fire District Board of Directors told Superior Court Judge Brian Stern in Fridayâs hearing how the board has been focused on working to understand how the district wound up in the predicament theyâre in and how to work on best practices going forward to ensure the same mistakes are not repeated.

January 24, 2014

COVENTRYâFor the second straight year, local author Ray Wolf has taken the proceeds of his books and donated them to various non-profit historical societies throughout the valley.

Last year, with the help of a matching donation from Centreville Bank, Wolf donated $1,670 to four different historical societies: Pawtuxet Valley Historical Society, Western Rhode Island Civic Preservation Society, the Coventry Historical Society and the Hope Historical Society.

January 23, 2014

COVENTRY âThe Western Coventry Board of Directors, along with Fire Chief Steven Quattrini went over what they called âthe very preliminary budget numbersâ for 2014 during Thursdayâs board meeting and so far, the only significant increase appears to be with training and gear.

According to the boardâs presentation, there is a proposed increase of $3,315 compared to last years at $9,110.